Acquitted (1916 film)

Last updated

Acquitted
Acquitted 1917 newspaper.jpg
Newspaper advertisement
Directed by Paul Powell [1]
Written byRoy Somerville [1] [2]
Tod Browning (uncredited)
Based on"Acquitted" [1] [3] [4]
by Mary Roberts Rinehart
Starring Wilfred Lucas
Mary Alden
Bessie Love [5]
Cinematography John Leezer [6]
Production
company
Distributed by Triangle Film Corporation
Release date
  • February 6, 1916 (1916-02-06)(U.S.)
Running time
5 reels
CountryUnited States
Language Silent (English intertitles)

Acquitted is a 1916 American silent mystery film [2] produced by the Fine Arts Film Company and distributed by Triangle Film Corporation. Paul Powell directed a screenplay by Roy Somerville based on a 1907 short story by Mary Roberts Rinehart. [1] [3] Tod Browning served as an uncredited writer.[ citation needed ]

Contents

This film marks the first starring role of Wilfred Lucas, [7] and may mark Bessie Love's film debut. The film is presumed lost, possibly due to the 1965 MGM vault fire. [8] [9]

Plot

John Carter (Lucas) is interviewed by the police. Wilfred Lucas in a scene from Acquitted.jpg
John Carter (Lucas) is interviewed by the police.

The police accuse innocent bookkeeper John Carter (Lucas) of having committed the murder of a cashier. A reporter, who is in love with Carter's daughter (Love), proves that Carter is innocent. After a time, Carter's daughter convinces his former employer to hire him back. [2] [10] [11]

Cast

Film still showing the Carter family (Lucas, Love, De Rue, and Alden). Scene from the 1916 silent film Acquitted.jpg
Film still showing the Carter family (Lucas, Love, De Rue, and Alden).

Production

Bessie Love wore some of her own clothing as her wardrobe in the film. [12]

Release and reception

Film still featuring Alden, De Rue, and Lucas. Scene from Acquitted with Wilfred Lucas.jpg
Film still featuring Alden, De Rue, and Lucas.

The film was heavily censored in Ohio, with scenes of violence and drug sales and use removed before distribution. [13]

The film was well-reviewed. [14] [15] Wilfred Lucas received positive reviews for his performance in the lead role, as did Powell's direction. [14] [16] [17] Bessie Love was positively likened to her contemporaries Mary Pickford and Mae Marsh. [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bessie Love</span> American actress (1898–1986)

Juanita Horton, better known as Bessie Love, was an American-British actress who achieved prominence playing innocent, young girls and wholesome leading ladies in silent and early sound films. Her acting career spanned nearly seven decades—from silent film to sound film, including theatre, radio, and television—and her performance in The Broadway Melody (1929) earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilfred Lucas</span> Canadian-American actor, director, and screenwriter (1871–1940)

Wilfred Van Norman Lucas was a Canadian American stage actor who found success in film as an actor, director, and screenwriter.

<i>The Aryan</i> 1916 film

The Aryan is a 1916 American silent Western film starring William S. Hart, Gertrude Claire, Charles K. French, Louise Glaum, and Bessie Love.

<i>The Good Bad-Man</i> 1916 film

The Good Bad-Man is a 1916 American silent Western film directed by Allan Dwan. The film was written by Douglas Fairbanks, and produced by Fairbanks and the Fine Arts Film Company. It stars Fairbanks and Bessie Love.

<i>Reggie Mixes In</i> 1916 silent film by Christy Cabanne

Reggie Mixes In, also known as Facing the Music, is an American 1916 silent action/comedy-drama film starring Douglas Fairbanks and directed by Christy Cabanne. The film was produced by Fine Arts Film Company and distributed by Triangle Film Corporation. The film is extant and in the public domain.

<i>Cheerful Givers</i> 1917 silent film by Paul Powell

Cheerful Givers is a 1917 American silent comedy-drama film produced by the Fine Arts Film Company and distributed by Triangle Film Corporation. The film stars Bessie Love and Kenneth Harlan.

<i>A Yankee Princess</i> 1919 silent film by David Smith

A Yankee Princess is a 1919 American silent comedy-drama film produced and distributed by the Vitagraph Company of America. It was directed by David Smith and stars Bessie Love, who also wrote the screenplay. It is a lost film.

<i>Tongues of Flame</i> 1924 film

Tongues of Flame is a 1924 American silent melodrama film produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed through Paramount Pictures. It is based on a novel by Peter Clark MacFarlane and was directed by Joseph Henabery. The film starred Thomas Meighan and Bessie Love. It was produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures.

<i>Stranded</i> (1916 drama film) 1916 silent film by Lloyd Ingraham

Stranded is a 1916 American silent drama film produced by Fine Arts Film Company and distributed by Triangle Film Corporation. The film stars DeWolf Hopper with newcomer Bessie Love in a supporting role. The film is considered lost.

<i>A Sister of Six</i> (1916 film) 1916 film

A Sister of Six is a 1916 American silent Western film produced by the Fine Arts Film Company and distributed by Triangle Film Corporation. The film was directed by brothers Chester M. and Sidney Franklin. This was Bessie Love's first starring role.

<i>Those Who Dance</i> (1924 film) 1924 film

Those Who Dance is a 1924 American silent drama film produced by Thomas H. Ince and directed by Lambert Hillyer. Released by Associated First National, the film stars Blanche Sweet, Bessie Love, and Warner Baxter. It is based on a story by George Kibbe Turner.

<i>Hell-to-Pay Austin</i> 1916 silent film by Paul Powell

Hell-to-Pay Austin is a 1916 American silent comedy-drama film directed by Paul Powell and starring Wilfred Lucas in the title role, with Bessie Love, Eugene Pallette, and Mary Alden in supporting roles. Written by Mary H. O'Connor, the film was produced by D. W. Griffith's Fine Arts Film Company and distributed by Triangle Film Corporation. It is presumed lost.

<i>Nina, the Flower Girl</i> 1917 silent film by Lloyd Ingraham

Nina, the Flower Girl is a lost American 1917 silent drama film produced by D. W. Griffith through his Fine Arts Film Company and distributed by Triangle Film Corporation. The film starred Bessie Love, an up-and-coming ingenue actress. It also marked the final acting role for Elmer Clifton, who was by then moving on to directing full-time.

<i>Polly Ann</i> 1917 silent film by Charles Miller

Polly Ann is a lost 1917 American silent comedy-drama film produced and distributed by the Triangle Film Corporation. It was directed by Charles Miller and stars Bessie Love.

<i>The Heiress at Coffee Dans</i> 1916 silent film by Edward Dillon

The Heiress at Coffee Dan's is a 1916 American silent comedy-drama film produced by the Fine Arts Film Company and distributed by Triangle Film Corporation. It starred Bessie Love and was directed by Edward Dillon.

<i>A Little Sister of Everybody</i> 1918 silent film by Robert Thornby

A Little Sister of Everybody, sometimes called A Little Sister to Everybody, is a 1918 American silent comedy-drama film directed by Robert Thornby and starring Bessie Love and George Fisher. It was produced by Anderson-Brunton Company and distributed by Pathé.

<i>Carolyn of the Corners</i> 1919 silent film by Robert Thornby

Carolyn of the Corners is a 1919 American silent drama film directed by Robert Thornby, and starring Bessie Love, Charles Edler, and Charlotte Mineau.

<i>The Silent Watcher</i> 1924 silent film by Frank Lloyd

The Silent Watcher is a lost 1924 American silent melodrama film directed by Frank Lloyd. It stars Glenn Hunter and Bessie Love. It was produced by Frank Lloyd Productions/First National and distributed by First National Pictures. It was based on the story "The Altar on the Hill" by Mary Roberts Rinehart.

<i>One of Many</i> (film) 1917 American film

One of Many is a 1917 American film written and directed by Christy Cabanne, starring Frances Nelson with Niles Welch, Mary Mersch, Caroline Harris and Harold Entwistle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louella Maxam</span> American actress

Louella Maxam was an American actress who performed in over 50 silent films from 1913 until 1921. She was often cast in comedies and Westerns, most notably being identified in 1915 as a "leading lady" in a series of shorts starring Tom Mix, who during the silent and early sound eras was promoted as the "Cowboy King of Hollywood". Later, she was a female lead in other films for various studios, including several productions featuring another early cowboy star, Franklyn Farnum. Following her departure from acting, Maxam worked in county and municipal government in California, including service with the Burbank police department, where in 1943 she was hired as that city's first "police woman".

References

Citations
  1. 1 2 3 4 "Purely Personal Mention". The Photoplayers Weekly. November 27, 1915. p. 3.
  2. 1 2 3 Wlaschin, Ken (April 28, 2009). Silent Mystery and Detective Movies: A Comprehensive Filmography. p. 4. ISBN   978-0-7864-4350-5.
  3. 1 2 Goble, Alan, ed. (September 8, 2011). The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film. p. 662. ISBN   978-3-11-095194-3.
  4. ↑ Rinehart, Mary Roberts (February 1907). "Acquitted". Pearson's Magazine . Vol. 17, no. 2. p. 225.
  5. ↑ "Purely Personal Mention". The Photoplayers Weekly. January 29, 1916. p. 4.
  6. ↑ Love 1977, p. 148
  7. ↑ "Lucas Starred by Griffith". Motography . Vol. 15, no. 9. February 26, 1916. p. 450.
  8. ↑ Bennett, Carl (August 19, 2009). "Progressive Silent Film List: Acquitted". Silent Era.
  9. ↑ The American Film Institute Catalog Feature Films: 1911–20 by The American Film Institute, c.1988
  10. ↑ "Wilfred Lucas Now a Star". Motography. Vol. 15, no. 3. January 15, 1916. p. 110.
  11. ↑ Johnson, Julian (April 1916). "The Shadow Stage". Photoplay Magazine. p. 100.
  12. ↑ Love 1977 , pp. 80–82
  13. ↑ Platz, Paul Alwyn (March 4, 1916). "Ohio Censor Scissors Snip Without Rhyme or Reason". Motion Picture News. Vol. 13, no. 9. p. 1304.
  14. 1 2 "The Current Triangle Bill". Motography. Vol. 15, no. 7. February 12, 1916. p. 368.
  15. ↑ "Film Reviews". Variety. Vol. 41, no. 9. January 28, 1916. p. 22.
  16. ↑ "Messrs. Wilfred Lucas". Photoplay Magazine. Vol. 10, no. 1. June 1916. pp. 97–99.
  17. ↑ Julian, Johnson (April 1916). "The Shadow Stage". Photoplay Magazine. p. 104.
  18. ↑ York, Cal (April 1916). "Plays and Players". Photoplay Magazine. p. 110.
Works cited
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.